Login

Navigation

In " Sleeping With the Enemy "
What Happens When Prince Charming Turns Out to Be a Monster?

Premiered in US theatres in 1991, "Sleeping with the Enemy" is a film that combines the elements of drama and psychological thriller. The film, based on a 1987 novel of the same name by Nancy Price, is screenplayed by Ronald Bass and directed by Joseph Ruben.

Premiered in US theatres in 1991, "Sleeping with the Enemy" is a film that combines the elements of drama and psychological thriller. The film, based on a 1987 novel of the same name by Nancy Price, is screenplayed by Ronald Bass and directed by Joseph Ruben.

The storyline revolves around Laura Burney (Julia Roberts) and her abusive husband Martin (Patrick Bergin). Laura struggles to live with the demands of her violent and obsessive husband who to the outside world seems like the perfect catch.

Martin's true nature was revealed to Laura shortly after their honeymoon. That was three years and seven months ago, and she has thought of nothing but escape since. But Martin is so in love with his ''princess'' (as he calls her), so unable to imagine life without her, that if she tries in any way to break free of the marriage, he'll kill her.

Laura finds herself living life in a constant state of fear, and is waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape the evil clutches of her husband.

One evening, when Martin and Laura are out sailing with a neighbor, Laura is seemingly lost overboard. Martin searches for her, knowing that she can't swim; but her body is not found.

However, Laura is not dead. The accident is, in fact, part of her plan to escape her husband, which has been in preparation for many months.

She finally gets her chance to break away, she fakes her own death and flees the town going undercover with a new name and soon finds a completely new way of life.

She begins to make friends and becomes close to drama teacher Ben, the complete opposite of her ex husband. He is everything she has ever wanted but when Martin later learns that his wife is not dead he begins to start a search for her that will not end until he finally gets her back home with him where he believes she belongs.

Now both Laura and Ben are in danger as Martin's violence reaches new extremes.

The score by Jerry Goldsmith won the BMI Film Music Award, 1992, and the film was nominated for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for 1992 in four categories: Best Actress (Roberts), Best Supporting Actor (Bergin), Best Horror Film and Best Music (Goldsmith).